William r betham



(N Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. R. BETHAM.

CAR (,"OPLIINTGr- Patented May 17, 1892.

Unirse Stratus arent* union.

VILLIAM R. BETHAMOF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

oAR-oouPLlNc@ SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,806, dated May 17, 1892.

Application tiled February 3, 1890.

To all whom it may concern:

VBe it known that I, WILLIAM R. BETHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and durable car-coupler which will couple up automatically when the cars come together and avoid the necessity of having the brakeman go between them.

It consists of two hooked draw-bars swinging on horizontal axes, which hook onto one another as the ends of the cars strike together and the buffer-springs are compressed.

It further consists ot' details of construction and operation hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure l is a side elevation of the ends of two cars coupled together with my coupler, part of the timber of one car being broken away to show the butter-socket. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the couplers looking down, the car-body being removed. Fig. 3 is a detail of the socket into which the tail-piece of the draw-bar tit-s. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the draw-bar raised, as in uncoupling. Figs. 6, 7, and S are detail views ot the draw-bar.

A represents the timbers of the cars; B, the buffers set inthe ends of the timbers; C, the draw-bars; D, the socket into which the tailpiece C of the draw-bar fits. The socket D is attached to the draw-bolt L and draws against the draw-spring J.- It is provided with studs O O on each side, which slide in the guides M M. The draw-bar is tilted by means of the lever F, attached to the shaft E. This shaft E also has attached to it two arms G G, which come up on each side of the drawbar, and an arm H extending out from the shaft below it. These arms are attached to the draw-bar by the chains I I and I. Vhen the cars are to be uncoupled, the lever F is swung backward and the arms G G, through the chains I I, pull up on the draw-bar on one side of a shiftingfulcrum, and the arm H, through the chain I', pulls down upon it upon the other side, the tail-piece C sliding freely in the curved socket D. In this manner the Serial No. 338,995. (No modeh) draw-bar is tilted up, as shown in Fig. 5, until it is uncoupled from its fellow draw-bar.

The socket D is curved in order to allow the tail-piece to swing in it, and made sufiiciently long to prevent the tail-piece from coming out ot' engagement when the d raw-bar is tilted. The tilting of the draw-bar is limited by the car-body above andthe cross-tie S 6o below.

The slack in the chains allows ot the necessary longitudinal movement of the draw-bar.

The hooks or iianges T T, which form the head of the draw-bar, are made the one with its inner face concave, as shown in Fig. 6, and the other with its inner face convex, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, so that When one draw-- bar couples with his fellow draw-bar on the other car the convex flange on the one fits 7o into concave flange on the other. The object of this shaped flange is to provide for turning curves, so that the one will slip over the other more readily and still retain afirm hold.

The head of the draw-bar is tapered off, so that one will mount upon the other when they come together. The taper is made long enough to enter the socket of the ordinary link-andpin coupling in common use, and a hole P is cut in it to receive the pin, thus adapting my 8o coupling to be used with the link-and-pin coupling.

The buffers B B project suticiently that in order to couple the cars they must be compressed, as shown in Fig. 4, and their expansion pressure then tends to keep the cars apart and the draw-bars hooked together.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*- l. The herein-described car-coupler, con- 9o sisting of the combination of the hooked drawbar, the draw-sprin g, and the socket attached thereto, into which the tail-piece ot' the drawbar tits, all substantially as shown and `described.

2. The herein-described car-coupler, consisting of the combination of the hooked drawbar, the draw-spring, the socket attached to said spring, into which the tail-piece of the draw-bar fits, and the lever by means of which Ioo said draw-bar is raised or lowered, all substantially as shown and described.

3. The herein-described car-coupler, consisting of the combination of the hooked drawbar, the draw-spring, the socket attached to said spring, into which the tail-piece of said draw-bar its, the lever by means of which said draw-bar is raised o1' lowered, and the buers, all substantially as shown and described.

4. The herein-described oar-coupler, consisting of the combination of the draw-bar C, having the anges T T and the tail-piece C',

the Curved socket D, the draw-spring J, atro tached thereto, the shaft E, having the lever F, and the arms G G, and the arm H, attached thereto, and the chains I I, and the chain I', all substantially as shown and described.

VILLIAM R. BETHAM. Witnesses:

LoUIs V. LE MOYNE, F. J. LE MoYNE. 

